February 28, 2015

There's something about dining rooms that stick in our
memory over the decades. Wooden tables and cabinets set the scene for family
reunions and celebrations, the sharing of relatives' secrets and discussion of
their tragedies.

A.J. Gurney's 1982 play "The Dining Room" is an
actor’s dream show. Set in a single room, 18 scenes from different households
overlap and intertwine. Director Sasha Bratt is brilliant. He gently leads six
actors, who play 50 characters between them, like a master orchestral conductor.
The sets, lights and costumes are perfect and the amount of quick changes could
have wound up on America’s Got Talent.

The actors portray a wide variety of characters, from little
boys to stern grandfathers, from giggling teenage girls to housemaids. The
versatility of these actors rotating among the many roles makes for a thrilling
experience.

Ezra Barnes excels in his command of the stage as a grouchy
grandpa to giddy kid -- his “acting gymnastics” are a perfect ten. Annie Grier
is brilliant as she moves from a servant to a mom to a mischievous pot smoking
college student. Susan Haefner is alluring as the middle-aged seductress, perky
as a young girl who doesn't want to go to dancing school, and alternately
poised and aloof as an older women.

Sean Harris plays nine characters; he is stunning to watch.
Susan Slotoroff, sparks in her many roles. Jay William Thomas is flawless as he
embraces changing personalities and ages with virtuoso skill.

The fact that the culture of private clubs, boarding schools
and well-dressed maids has vanished won't bother many viewers; although it
makes it a bit harder to feel sympathetic for the characters.

So much has changed in both home styles and families since
Gurney penned his play. Still, most people can relate to universal themes of
family change, and avid “theater goers” will find the work mesmerizing.

February 27, 2015

While math is not one of my many skills, I easily managed to
fully enjoy ten 10-minute plays by 10 playwrights featuring six actors in 21
roles, directed by two talented women on one stage -- Barrington’s St. Germain
Stage.

Heavy snow (hmm, sounds familiar) postponed my attending
opening weekend.Fortunately, Barrington and I rescheduled. All worked out well, as last
Sunday was a balmy 38 degrees in Pittsfield. Recent journeys up north in the
past few months by several Spotlight writers substantiate the fact that the
Berkshires do NOT close their doors in December and reopen in May. Apparently,
lots of other theatre goers know this, because there was not a single empty
seat in the theatre.

10x10 is a jam-packed two-hours of near rapid-fire
mini-plays. Each “playette” (is that a word?) is complete and not connected to
any of the other plays. The six actors (three men, three women) double as stage
crew.

The playwrights are experienced with resumes to prove it, as
are the actors who are all Equity except for one. This is a very talented
sextet who work well as an ensemble.

Most of the plays in Act I are comedies. Act II provides
some drama. The stories feature just two characters for the most part. One play
immediately follows another, no curtain calls, just next, next, and next.

Certainly, it is impossible to enjoy all ten plays. Out of
my own seven “nominees,” one comedy and one drama tie for “best play.” Sorry, I
can’t help the analogy to the Oscars, aired later that same day.

The plot of “Mandate,” by Kelly Younger, is a very funny
forced “bromance” by the wives of two disparate men who have just met. One man
begs to be the other’s BFF. The humor oozes from the awkwardness.

Playwright James McLindon’s “Broken” pits two political
prisoners in one small cell. The situation, the place, the era do not matter.
It’s raw and dramatic.

You might think...a play that’s only 10 minutes? How good
could it be? When 10 minutes is all you need, it can be very good at Barrington
Stage.

Lead vocalist Gavin Hope sang everything from early million
sellers "ABC,""I Want You Back," and "I'll Be
There" to "Billie Jean" from the biggest selling album of all
time "Thriller." The amazingly versatile band proved it could handle
the soul-pop of "Never Can Say Goodbye," the slow ease ballad "Ben,"
and the finger poppin' R&B of "Rockin' Robin." The slower numbers
allowed for peaceful audience cell phone wave participation. On a high note,
the first half ended with "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til
You Get Enough" from Michael Jackson's 1979 solo album "Off The
Wall."

The Rock 'n' Soul of "Working Day and Night" got
the Symphony's horns pumped to the groove. The taut, confrontational funk of
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" had vocalist Hope making familiar MJ
gestures. Good dancing revved up with "Beat It" rock dalliances.
Dunlop provided crystalline brilliance in his rhythm-friendly percussive attack
on his sizzling lead guitar solo. The sparkle and zing of "The Way You
Make Me Feel" kept the audience in song and dance. The warm glow of
"Human Nature" was smooth harmony with back-up vocals. Hope had the
audience palms up again with peace waving zest.

Hope and company closed on the strength of
"Thriller" with its crisply articulated rap of the Vincent Price
howling original. The Symphony's strings and percussion performed magnificently
on the crescendo. The confessional "Man in the Mirror" became an
ideal encore with an exceptionally good vocal by Hope.

A musical comedy based on the film of the same name,
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" offers tremendous overall charm despite
some inherent weaknesses in the script. With over 20 song and/or dance numbers,
they can't all be winners, and a few of the tunes fall a little flat through
absolutely zero fault of the terrific Opera House Players.

Sly direction by Denise Boutin smooths away the rough spots
and injects abundant, richly observed subversiveness into scenes dogged at
times by David Yazbeck's slightly inconsistent song craft. Actors break the
fourth wall and offer self-referential jokes while the better-than-usual (and
nicely choreographed) chorus gets lots of tongue-in-cheek moments of their own
throughout the production.

Boutin has cast a solid love triangle. Brian Rucci brings
debonair ennui to veteran con man Lawrence, emcees smoothly through the proceedings,
and gets even better in the later going as the over-the-top Dr. Shuffhausen.
The other primary scoundrel Freddy is played with boundless energy and standout
vocal chops by Randy Davidson. Christine Voytko is winsome and deceptively
earnest, spot-on in the character of, well, Christine.

Among the secondary leads, Michael King consistently pulls
the biggest laughs as the mildly corrupt but always human police chief Andre.
His love interest Muriel (Tracy Funke) matches King's excellent singing and
shows sweet vulnerability. Emily Stisser brings lots of life to the essentially
cameo role of Okie cowgirl and heiress Jolene.

Kudos to the stage crew; the seemingly simple set transforms
ingeniously in a flash and scene changes are done with the precision of an Indy
pit crew. Musical director Paul Feyer leads a clever four-piece band that
sounds bigger than it is. Of note to parents, there are a few highly suggestive
moments on stage, plus some salty language.

In the pet-peeve department, this reviewer wishes the body
mics worn by the principals were less visible; but on the plus side, every word
is audible and the audience's experience is the better for it.

February 4, 2015

“Nice Work If You Can Get It” marks a homecoming for the
musical, which traces its origins to the Goodspeed Opera House down the road in
East Haddam. The show went through many changes on the journey from CT, to
Broadway, to Tony winner, and back again, but in all incarnations the heart and
appeal lies in the classic music of George and Ira Gershwin.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

In the madcap world of 1927 Prohibition, bootleggers, high
society types, and a bevy of chorus girls collide in a mix of romance,
mistaken identities, and slapstick high-jinx. This is the type of light and
frothy story that finds gangsters posing as butlers and the vice squad partakes
in more vices then it foils.

Mariah MacFarlane as rum-runner Billie Bendix is a splendid
talent, with a strong voice and crack timing. It takes such a balance to sing
“Someone to Watch Over Me” while holding a shotgun. A supporting cast of
star-crossed lovers is top notch. Highlights include Aaron Fried and Stephanie
Gandolfo’s, “Do It Again” and “Blah, Blah Blah.” Reed Campbell and Stephanie
Harter Gilmore’s, “Looking for a Boy” is also a stand out, sung as it is from a
swinging chandelier. In addition to “Looking” the choreography delights
throughout, with the bathtub based “Delishious” yielding a bubbly surprise.

Any “new” Gershwin musical is sure to invoke comparison to
1992’s “Crazy For You” and while “Nice” may not have the rock-solid book of
that show, it does have exciting choreography, delightful performances and the
kind of exuberance that can make any audience temporarily forget the chilly
weather outside.

January 28, 2015

Caitlin Canty and her full band played The Parlor Room in
support of her CD release, "Reckless Skyline.” The housegave Canty an opportune venue and the
band gave her lots of room in which to shine. The band included Jeffrey
Foucault on guitars, Bill Conway on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass, and
Eric Heywood on pedal steel and guitars. These were all great players who
created a strong musical beat. Canty's voice was a refined dusky alto, and
pure. Her lyrical themes hurled words into darkness that gnawed at the hunger
of life in all of us. When she smiled, the audience members melted on "My
Love For You Will Not Fade."

Song after song gave way to a poetic lyrical resonance.
"Get Up" was a rave up alt-country rocker. Within the dark lyrical
landscape, the pedal steel found home in its bright stir of excitement. The
darker toned songs, "Enough About Hard Times" and the ballad
"Wore Your Ring," slowed the energy for enjoyment of lyrical quality.
Her words calm with even phrasing and tone for simple inflection for easy
listening.

However, not all was lost to darkness. "Southern
Man" phrased some bright lines into its narrative from the female perspective.
Another bright moment included the Canty/Foucault upbeat duet "Get Back To
Idaho." The mid-tempo roots rocker "My Baby Don't Care" featured
flashy blues guitar breaks over the rhythm. The cover of Neil Young's
"Unknown Legend" was treated with the sonic beauty of the singer's
voice. Guest artist Kate Lorenz, from the local band “Rusty Belle,” provided
background vocals on certain songs for female harmony.

"True" posed the question, "How can I be true
to you and true to me?" in duet form with Jeffrey Foucault for glorious
effect. The concert closed with the rousing "Reckless Skyline" and
alt-country rocker "I Never." A country weeper encore "Cold
Habit" showcased a pretty Heywood pedal steel guitar sound.

Catch this Vermont regional star on her adventurous glide to
Nashville. She shines light in all the dark places.

January 27, 2015

Nearly 15 years ago "Proof," written by David
Auburn, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best
Play. "Proof” has been produced in community, regional and professional
theatres across the globe. Its themes of logic and reason, right and wrong, and
trust and love are universal, but bring these deeply human emotions into the
ultra-logical world of math, ambition, academia, and insanity and the result is
extraordinarily profound.

The play is a story told through the eyes of Catherine, the
daughter of Robert (Damian Buzzerio), a genius mathematician. Recently deceased
after struggling with mental illness for several years, Robert was cared for by
Catherine alone. He shares his love of math, but fears deeply she may also
share the same mental illness as her father.

Marty Scanlon & Dana Brooke. Photo: Rich Wagner

The role of Catherine is inherently difficult, but in the
hands of actress Dana Brooke it looks as easy as adding one and one. Brooke
brings Catherine so fully to life, so perfectly balanced between likable and
stridently imperfect that the audience is on her side within minutes. At times
heart-breaking and others hilarious, this is a performance worth seeing again
and again. Her scenes with Hal, played with everyman charm by Marty Scanlon,
are endearing and enriched with a sweetness.

Credit must be given to Melissa Macleod Herion for her
ability to find the gentleness and love in Claire, also a role that is a
tightrope act. It would be, and tragically often is, easy to play Claire deeply
unlikable, but here Claire is rooted in love and good intentions. She is the
Big Sister and to that end, we love her for her imperfections, for her true
desire to be a source of comfort. The two women lead this production with great
care about this family and who they were and who they will become.

With a stripped down stage, the acting is what matters here.
Christopher Hoyt’s stage design is deceptively simple, a playground for actors
who so clearly deserve a packed house. Director Dawn Loveland nails the casting
and tells one great story. This is a truly terrific production of the modern
classic.